BA History | Final Honour School (Second Years) - Course Handbook

The History of the British Isles outline papers will develop and expand upon the options available at Prelims. There are seven period papers, and two Theme papers, to choose from. Please note that you are not permitted to study the same period that you chose at Prelims.

The options available will give you the opportunity to study the development of the closely-related societies of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland over long periods of time. You will be able to probe the history of different societies in the British Isles, and to prioritise political, intellectual, social, cultural or economic history as you choose. The British History papers demand an appreciation of both breadth and depth, requiring you to engage closely with specific issues and historiographical debates, whilst also demonstrating a clear sense of the whole chronology of the period and the differences and similarities between the various parts of the British Isles.

Your tutorial preparation should not therefore be too narrow in chronological, geographical or thematic terms.

if you opt to take one of the British History Theme papers, you will be challenged to study a specific issues or problem in depth across chronological and geographical boundaries. You will be able to explore how the paper's theme (such as gender and sexuality or the state and national identity) manifests itself in different ways across time and space, and how it has been approached by historians who have very different skills and interests.

Please note that you will not acquire a period ‘badge’ when doing a Theme paper so keep this in mind when making your other paper choices. History of the British Isles Theme papers will also be assessed by a take-away examination at the end of Trinity Term of the second year.

Course information for each of the period options available can be found at: https://canvas.ox.ac.uk/courses/22234/pages/bif-paper-options?module_item_id=209542

European and World History in the Final Honour School is divided into fourteen periods, which cover much of the last two millennia. Papers vary in their focus, with some being centred on particular regions and others offering the opportunity to think on a more ‘global’ scale, or to look at different parts of the world and their relationships within particular periods. Some papers are badged as either ‘European’ or ‘World’ History; some are double-badged, allowing you to examine both regions in parallel. You can study times and places not covered in the Preliminary Examination, and periods are studied in greater depth, requiring you to examine the distinctive features of individual societies as well as to grasp broad themes.

If you opt to take one of the European and World History Theme papers, you will be challenged to study an issue or problem in depth across chronological and geographical boundaries. You will be able to explore how a theme (such as gender and sexuality, technology, or religion and war) manifests itself in different ways across time and space, and how it has been approached by historians who have very different skills and interests.

Please note that you will not acquire a period badge when doing a Theme paper so keep this in mind when making your other paper choices. 

Course information for each of the European and World History options available can be found at:

https://canvas.ox.ac.uk/courses/22234/pages/ewf-paper-options?module_item_id=209547

Much like the Optional Subjects in the Preliminary Examination, Further Subjects challenge you to examine a closely-defined period or theme in depth, making particular reference to a body of primary sources, which you will be required to comment on directly in your exam. There are a wide range of subjects to choose from, spanning the chronological and geographic scope of recorded history, and enabling you to study subjects in which members of the Faculty are themselves actively engaged in research. You may wish to take a subject that relates to a period you have previously covered, so that you start from a basis of knowledge, but you should also feel encouraged to use the Further Subject to explore topics and themes beyond your comfort zone.

Further Subjects are usually taught through a combination of tutorials and classes held over Hilary Term of the second year. In addition to producing essays, you will develop your ability to work effectively in a group through class discussions, small-group work, and occasional presentations on a topic or theme.

Further Subjects are examined in a single paper in the Final Honour School. You are required to answer three questions, including at least one from each of Section A (usually focused on the prescribed sources) and Section B, and to illustrate your answers as appropriate by reference to the prescribed texts.

Course information for each of the options available can be found at: https://canvas.ox.ac.uk/courses/22234/pages/further-subject-paper- options?module_item_id=209550

The Special Subject is the paper which provides the greatest opportunity to engage with scholarly research in the Final Honour School outside of the thesis. Much like the Further Subject, you will study a defined period or theme through the close analysis of primary sources, on which you will be examined through two assessments: the gobbets exam paper and the extended essay. For this reason, the Special Subject counts for two of your seven papers in the Final Honour School.

Your comprehension of how historians use sources is extended through the writing of short commentaries, or 'gobbets', on unseen excerpts from the set sources. You will not have a question or prompt to respond to; instead, you will be expected to comment on the full meaning of the passage, its context within the source material and historical positioning, and its place in the broader scholarship of the period. Further information about the writing of gobbets can be found on the Oxford Historians’ Hub at: https://ohh.web.ox.ac.uk/writing-advice.

The Extended Essay, by contrast, allows you to demonstrate your knowledge of an aspect of the subject in very great depth, drawing upon all of the sources and historiography at your disposal to come to your own conclusions. As a short scholarly piece of work, it also acts as a warm-up to the thesis you will write in the following term, and will allow you to gain some familiarity with academic presentation and referencing. Some subjects constitute the convenor’s current research project, and in discussion and through your writing you may be able to contribute to their work.

Teaching of Special Subjects is divided into six tutorials and eight classes. You will be expected to study a minimum of 12 gobbets over the course of term, and should have no more than two hours of contact time for your Extended Essay. The tutor or class teacher is permitted to read and comment on a plan, but not a complete draft, of the essay.

Course information for each of the options available can be found at: https://canvas.ox.ac.uk/courses/22234/pages/special-subject-paper- options?module_item_id=209553

Disciplines of History, considered the ‘general’ paper in Finals, allows you to draw together and reflect upon all the work you have done across the three years of your degree. You will be asked to use examples drawn from your other papers – including the thesis – to examine two strands of enquiry: Making Historical Comparisons and Making Historical Arguments.

Making Historical Comparisons

This section of the paper requires you to make meaningful comparisons and contrasts across historically-distinct periods, societies, and experiences, to explore in detail how and why societies differ, especially when in many ways they appear similar. You are encouraged to set case-studies from your other papers in contradistinction to each other, to draw creative and significant parallels between them, and to allow interesting conclusions to emerge from the comparison. Choosing your examples carefully is therefore crucial, and the logic behind this is something that is worth being explicit about in your essays.

Making Historical Arguments

This section of the paper is historiographical, and requires you to reflect on the question of how historians make history. This question requires you to consider the ways in which sources are used in historical writing, and the views that historians have held which privilege the reading of particular sources. The focus of this section is therefore on the variety of ways in which history has been and is written, in terms of different subject-matter, sources, genre, motivation and historical context. Moreover, you will be asked to familiarise yourself with particular schools of history, and consider the influences on history from other disciplines and theories, including (but not limited to) sociology, literature, and economics.

The standard rules against overlap do not apply to either section of Disciplines of History. You may use any work you have done, including in your thesis, as sources for your arguments in the examination.

The thesis – a research project of 12,000 words on a topic of your own devising – is the largest piece of coursework in the Final Honour School. It offers you the opportunity to engage in extensive primary research, and to work out arguments which are entirely your own, not a synthesis of the conclusions of others. It enables you to work as a historical scholar in your own right and to experience the kind of academic work undertaken professionally by your tutors.

 For those who continue as graduate historians, the thesis will represent a first opportunity to test your abilities as creative and independent researchers, able to define and explore a historical problem on a large scale. For others a successfully accomplished thesis is a clear indication to employers and the outside world that they possess a capacity for organization, self- discipline and the ability to structure a substantial and complex piece of research on their own initiative.

Optional Additional Thesis

In addition you may also choose to submit a second, Optional Additional Thesis, on another subject of your choice (as long as it does not overlap in any substantive way with the compulsory thesis). ). The Optional Additional Thesis will be completed alongside, not instead of, your other papers; the mark you receive will replace your lowest mark in Finals (provided that it is not the lowest mark itself, and that no mark is below 50).

Writing an Optional Additional Thesis is a serious addition to your workload, and should not be undertaken without careful consideration. It must be written in your own time, and you may end up using up valuable revision time in the Easter vacation before Finals. If you are planning to submit an Optional Additional Thesis, you should discuss this with your college tutors in the first instance.